MSRDC to rope in consultants for activities on E-way

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is set to rope in a private consultant for planning, supervising activities on the Mumbai-Pune Epressway. It is a part of the initiative to make the area along the expressway into a smart hub.

The state government had appointed MSRDC as special planning authority (SPV) for the area. In a notification issued in February, the state urban development department declared 84 villages on the expressway under MSRDC’s jurisdiction and directed it to form its own development control regulation (DCR).

“In order to have disciplined traffic and avoid haphazard development along the expressway we intend to appoint consultants who will guide us on planning of parking facilities, lack of solid waste or waste water disposal systems, security gaps and encroachments by petrol pumps and food stalls on the stretch. We intend to have new ideas for uplifting of commercial use on our land parcels,” said an MSRDC official.

According to MSRDC officials, the body is planning to develop growth and industrial sectors along the expressway. The planning will be done on the same lines as that of Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Cidco. MSRDC also plans to acquire land via land pooling and transfer of development rights.

The MSRDC’s jurisdiction will cover 84 villages in Panvel and Khalapur talukas along with villages under the Maval taluka, Pune district.